WC Notebook: Low light doesn't dampen Levi fun

Following the cancellation of events in Sölden, due to lack of snow, the 2006-07 alpine World Cup season opened last weekend in Levi, Finland, with two days of icy slalom and lots more happening off the hill. SR reporter Virginia Zech's World Cup Notebook gives you the scoop.

FOLLOWING THE CANCELLATION of events in Sölden, Austria, due to lack of snow, the 2006-07 alpine World Cup season opened last weekend in Levi, Finland, with two days of icy slalom. While there was no shortage of snow in Levi, shifting the opener to a location above the Arctic Circle meant significantly diminished attendance, at least compared to the tens of thousands expected in Austria. Daylight hours were also in short supply, making for flat light on the course and extended hours of Finnish nightlife off the hill.
    Smaller crowds certainly didn’t mean lower enthusiasm, at least as far as aprés ski and home-team cheering sections went. Many among the crowds could be seen decked out in jackets reading “Kalle Palander Fan Club” in support of the national alpine star. Palander went into the Levi race with a No. 2 ranking in slalom and a mending knee injury. He came out of Sunday’s event just short of his top-10 goal at 11th. As for the Finnish women’s squad, support and anticipation were both high for Tanja Poutiainen’s performance. A variety of signs bearing her name were visible at Saturday’s race, where she finished 14th.
     All accommodations in Levi were fully booked through the weekend and both Friday and Saturday night saw the area’s biggest venue, the Hullu Poro Areena, packed with partying ski enthusiasts. As Levi is a small town, Olympic champions were rubbing elbows on the dance floor with locals as well as fans.
    American Bode Miller made his World Cup debut on his new Head equipment in Levi. As always, expectations of Miller were high. He went into this season holding strong at third overall in the Cup standings, though ranked a low 32nd in slalom. He attributed his inauspicious start to the weekend, a fall and lost ski in Friday morning’s training, to a loose gate. Of his new skis, Miller stated, “[They’re] good. Easier to ski on than the other stuff I’ve been on the last few years in slalom. Obviously the ski has to be fast, but something that’s a little bit easier to ski on makes a huge difference.” Always entertaining, but rarely consistent, Miller placed 39th in the first men’s run, failing to qualify for a second.
    COCHRAN IN CONTROL: The star of the U.S. men’s team for the weekend was Jimmy Cochran, who finished Sunday 15th after a first-run finish of 28th, just enough to qualify. Cochran told Ski Racing after his first run that the course was, “Really slick. I was surprised.” Reflecting that travel is “the best and the worst” part of being on the World Cup circuit, Cochran explained that dealing with jet lag can be difficult in a race where the team isn’t given much of an adjustment period. Light conditions in Levi “were the same for everyone” and can’t really be looked upon as having effected the race’s outcome, he said after his second run. Starting the 2006-07 season off strong, Cochran said he is looking forward to racing in Colorado. “Home crowd, that’s always nice. Beaver Creek, it’s a little swishy, but it’s good,” he said.
    The Unites States rounded out its men’s team in Levi with an injured Ted Ligety and Tom Rothrock. Ligety raced Sunday with a broken hand and entered the Levi race ranked fourth in slalom and ninth in overall Cup standings from last season. The Olympic medalist told Ski Racing that the team’s Friday morning practice session was the first time he had trained with a pole in more than a month. “It’s getting better,” he said. “I’m having a little trouble gripping the pole right now, but by the time the race comes I’ll probably be able to ditch the brace and just go for it.” Ligety wasn’t able to race sans brace as he had hoped and finished 54th after what he admitted was a slightly painful slalom experience.
    Rothrock told Ski Racing after his Friday training, “I was [in Levi] about five or six years ago for Europa Cup in January and it was dark, really dark. Luckily these lights are here.” Rothrock reflected on the artificial lighting that is used on Levi’s race course, saying, “Otherwise it would be pretty flat light.” Rothrock entered Levi ranked 54th in World Cup slalom competition and finished the first fun at 40th, right behind his teammate Miller.
    STIEGLER SHINES: After their arrival in Levi on Wednesday, the U.S. women’s team maintained an elusively low profile. Two of the weekend’s racers, Lindsey Kildow and Resi Stiegler, were injured in preseason training. Stiegler also sustained an ankle injury a week before the Lapland race. Sterling Grant, the third American female competitor, is still young to the World Cup tour at the age of 19. Expectations of Grant’s World Cup performance were, then, as uncertain as those regarding her healing teammates.
    Stiegler was the clear star for the American women in Levi, skiing into 10th. Managing to move up significantly after the second run, Stiegler said, “My first run I was a little nervous, but second run I knew I had to just put it down because I have nothing to lose right now.” Her ankle injury, however, was still fresh at about a week old, and she said it was difficult to ski on. “It’s not doing so well,” she said.
    An obviously disappointed Kildow placed 19th in the women’s first run. Kildow said changing snow conditions had taken her by surprise. “It’s really icy. I wasn’t expecting it [to be] slick ice. It’s definitely different from what we inspected. It was grippy this morning.” Kildow came back from being a bit late in her first attempt with a great split time during second run, though she then fell midway down Levi’s pitch and didn’t finish.
    Grant placed 44th out of 46 first-run finishers, not enough to get her a second chance at the course. “I look forward to the next World Cup race,” she said. Despite Levi being something of a disappointment, Grant’s current title as NorAm slalom champion has qualified her for a number of slots on this year’s World Cup tour.
    RACE FIELDS REDUCED? The Levi weekend saw two presentations, both meant for Sölden, worth mentioning. First, the FIS presented its new regulations. Most obvious among the changes are the addition of compulsory helmets in the slalom, a move the FIS calls “a big step towards safety.” FIS also reflected on the increased difficulty World Cup alpine skiing has had in nailing down television coverage in recent years. In response to this problem, one which affects the all-important element of sponsorship, a regulated reduction in the number of racers allowed to compete in World Cup events may be in store for future seasons.
    SHRED OPTICS: The second notable off-slope event was Ligety’s release of his new goggle line, Shred Optics. Available in four bold colors, including Nastify Green and Nastify Pink, the vibrant collection will show the world “that ski racing is cool,” Ligety said. Ligety punctuated his presentation of Shred Op
tics with affirmations that he is “super psyched” about the line. Already looking toward moving into sunglasses, “Ted Shred” claims that his goggles do not fog and fit well with helmets. Hand injury aside for Ligety, how did the lenses do in Levi’s limited lighting? “Awesome.”